ALCOHOL. 223 



It seems to give warmth to the cold, strength to the weak, 

 activity to the sluggish ; it seems to refresh the weary, 

 to quench thirst, and to satisfy hunger ; it seems to rouse 

 the mental faculties to a higher pitch of activity, bringing 

 forth a greater degree of wit and wisdom than the indi- 

 vidual ordinarily displays. It seems to banish fear and 

 make the timid brave. 



Let us glance over these seemings and try to get at the 

 real facts in the case. 



The feeling of increased warmth after taking alcohol is 

 due to the greater amount of blood in the skin where the 

 nerve endings are affected, or to the deadened sensibility 

 to cold, or to both ; test by the thermometer shows that 

 the body's temperature is lowered. 



After taking alcohol a person may feel stronger ; actual 

 test of strength shows diminished muscular power. 



Fatigue seems to have been done away with because 

 sensibility is blunted ; any form of drowsiness would 

 produce the same result. 



Hunger appears to be satisfied through the action on 

 the nerves of the stomach; but the body's need of food 

 has not been satisfied. Thirst may seem to have been 

 allayed; but only soon to return intensified. What usu- 

 ally passes for wit, under the influence of alcohol, is ordi- 

 narily the silliness of the tipsy ; under this influence the 

 person overestimates his wisdom, while others can easily 

 see that his judgment is warped. He may fear danger 

 less than before, but it should not be called bravery ; he is 

 less sensible of danger, and he has become rash or even 

 reckless. 



In all these cases sensibility is lowered, and the nerve 

 centers, especially the higher centers, have become more 

 or less paralyzed. For a short time the blood and the 



